SIERRA VISTA - Six people are dead and 22 were injured after a truck crashed into a line of vehicles at the intersection of the Highway 90 Bypass and Buffalo Soldier Trail Saturday afternoon.
The pickup truck, which is suspected of carrying illegal immigrants, initially was pursued by Cochise County Sheriff's deputies, who backed off after the pickup reached excessive speeds, Sheriff Larry Dever said.
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After the vehicle was later seen heading north on Highway 90, a set of tire spikes was put on the road by a Sierra Vista Police Department officer near the intersection of the bypass and Buffalo Soldier Trail, an eyewitness and law enforcement official both said.
The crash then occurred at about noon, leading to a scene that some described as looking like the aftermath of a car bombing, although there was no fire, crater or scorched vehicles. Eleven vehicles were involved.
Initial reports indicate the truck's driver lost control, causing the vehicle to go airborne, smashing the tops of vehicles waiting to make a left turn off the southbound part of Highway 90 onto the bypass.
One vehicle was turned on its side, while another was hit by the pickup truck, pushing it out of the left-turn lane to the far right lane. That vehicle was so badly crushed that two occupants in it were killed.
Rescuers had a hard time removing the unidentified dead. Blankets and sheets covered the unrecognizable vehicle.
Automotive parts were spread throughout the area, as leaking fuel and transmission and brake fluid flowed on the road, causing a red and black sheen in pools and narrow streams.
Broken glass, vehicle grilles, books, papers and clothing were on the road in a helter-skelter manner.
Pools of blood were easily discernible. A baseball cap was in one pool.
The bodies of two apparent illegal immigrants laid in the highway's two northbound lanes.
A large red tarp where the injured were treated covered a portion of the right northbound lane. The tarp was covered with used rubber gloves and medical equipment.
Near it, emergency medical technicians worked on a man - apparently an illegal immigrant - using CPR in an attempt to revive him. It was to no avail. After nearly a half hour of pumping on his chest and using an air bag to over his mouth, they gave up.
Someone gently covered the man's face and draped a sheet over his body.
The body was moved to the left northbound lane, taken off the gurney and placed on the ground next to another body.
When the pickup truck went into the air, a number of people were thrown from the vehicle. One person landed more than 50 feet from where the truck came to rest on its side.
A U.S. Border Patrol helicopter circled the area because suspected illegal immigrants were seen fleeing the scene. The Border Patrol also brought in an officer and dog to help in the search.
Department of Public Safety Officer James Oien said a search is on for the pickup's driver, who reportedly fled the scene. The driver is described as "a Hispanic man with a pony tail."
Most of the injured, whose injures ranged from life-threatening to minor cuts and bruises, were taken by ambulance to Sierra Vista Regional Health Center.
A number of air evacuation helicopters responded, taking the most seriously injured to University Medical Center in Tucson and St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Oien said.
The driver of the truck that caused the carnage "created innocent victims," Oien said.
Dever was more direct in how he views what happened.
The continuing unconcern that smugglers of illegal immigrants have for the rights of U.S. citizens must stop, he said.
"This is big and bad. This is the kind of an incident that I knew was going to happen," the sheriff said.
For more than seven years those involved in illegal immigrant smuggling have pushed their activities beyond reason, he said.
"They're idiots, and they have caused the death of our citizens," Dever said.
The incident began around 11:30 a.m. when the pickup was spotted coming out of Ash Canyon, failing to stop before entering Highway 92.
"He (the driver) almost caused an accident," Dever said. "He blew the stop sign."
A deputy saw the incident and began a pursuit, while checking the license plate of the truck, the sheriff said. The vehicle check came back as being stolen from Phoenix.
As the pursuit continued, the truck reached high speeds, and the deputy backed off, Dever said.
The deputy lost sight of the truck. It was spotted again on Buffalo Soldier Trail, and another deputy began to pursue it. But again because of excessive speeds, "my guy backed off," the sheriff said.
During the pursuit, another deputy put out tire spikes, but removed them before the truck arrived, he added.
The fleeing vehicle was lost again. The pile-up occurred by the time deputies arrived at the intersection.
Alma Fox, who was driving a car and was last in line to make a left turn on to the bypass, said things happened fast.
She said she saw somebody from the Sierra Vista Police Department put out what she thought were tire spikes before the incident. Then she saw a truck going through the air, after it hit the first vehicle in the turn lane.
Frank Valenzuela, a DPS spokesman, also said Sierra Vista police officers used tire deflation devices to slow the vehicles. The DPS is investigating the accident.
"Before I knew it there were bodies flying through the air," said Fox, a Benson resident who was on her way to work in Sierra Vista.
Eight bodies landed to her left and three to her right, she said.
Although her car was not damaged, Fox said she had no idea how anyone in the other vehicles survived.
Sierra Vista Assistant Fire Chief Randy Redmond said at least 20 people were in the truck.
Alison Bockstahler was directly in front of her. Her car had minor front end damage after the pickup truck in front of her was pushed into her vehicle.
The only thing she remembered was a sound like an explosion and seeing an airborne truck. She didn't see bodies going through the air.
"It happened so quick," said Bockstahler, an Army specialist assigned to the 304th Military Intelligence Battalion on the fort.
Redmond said almost every local emergency service capability responded and worked together well.
"Nearly all of Sierra Vista's resources for emergency care and management was dispatched for assistance," he said.
An incident command structure was put in place, and a triage and treatment center was established right by the accident area. Victims were prioritized according to the severity of their injures and sent to the Sierra Vista hospital or ones out of the area, Redmond said.
DPS, Sierra Vista Police Department, Cochise County Sheriff Department, Fort Huachuca Military Police, U.S. Border Patrol, Sierra Vista Fire Department, Fry Fire District, Fort Huachuca Fire Department, Whetstone Fire Department, Bowie Fire Department, Huachuca City Fire Department and ambulances from as far away as Benson and Sonoita responded to the scene.
As emergency personnel worked at the scene, Highway 90 was closed from the intersection of Kayetan Drive and Buffalo Soldier Trail, which connects with the Highway 90, to Mustang Corners north of Huachuca City.
The fort's East Gate also was closed to alleviate traffic from leaving the post and interfering with medical assistance at the accident scene.
Drivers were rerouted through Tombstone until the highway reopened at about 7 p.m.
SENIOR REPORTER Bill Hess can be reached at 515-4615 or by e-mail at bill.hess@svherald.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
